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Monday, August 24, 2009

We’ve had a hot summer. Granted, this is Las Vegas and summers are always hot in the desert, but this year for some reason the heat has bothered me & I’m one of those crazies who likes the heat. And, being one of the crazies, it surprised me over the weekend when I was glad it was overcast and cool (um… cooler) out. Yep, we’ve had those ominous rain clouds blanketing the sky, the nice dark gray ones. And, it’s rained. Thankfully not when I’ve had to drive anywhere. Rain here makes the roads slick when the water fights with the oils on the roadways. And the floods! Some intersections can be quite treacherous. Not just because of the deep water but the idiots who think their vehicles can transform into submarines and can get through the several feet deep water. But I digress. That’s another story for another day. Okay, so here I am enjoying the change of weather, the smell of rain, which is different here than in other places—it has a gritty, dirt-sand-like smell, not the deep grassy, forest type smell, and I’m surprised that I like the change in weather. I grew up in the Northeast. Dealt with crappy weather from October to March then dealt with humidity and rain the remainder of the year. It was great when the sun finally came out and broke up the monotony of the Jersey Gray Days. Then I moved to southern Nevada where it’s perpetually sunny. It’s been great. I love the sun, the blue skies, the dry air. But lately I’ve been thinking about places that get to experience the seasons, the changes in weather, and wondering if we should consider a move again. I’m thinking Texas again. Lived there before. And if we were to go back we’d live closer to San Antonio. What stops me from leaving the hot desert at this time (other than the horrible housing market)? The humidity. It’s 41% right now & I’m happy I have air conditioning so it won’t bog me down. Hubby is surprised to at my admission of how I like the drab, dreary weather right now & I’m sure those who know me are equally surprised. I’m secretly hoping for a kick-ass thunderstorm but don’t expect it to happen even though weather.com says we’re under a thunderstorm watch. Yep, this desert rat wants to go get drenched in a rainstorm and smell the moist air even if it does smell like sand.

When I lived in Vegas we used to stay at a place near Tonopah. We were out in the Pancake Mtns. just exploring and looking for petroglyphs. Following a dried up river bed we could see the storm moving toward us across the desert and as the humidity rose, it released the fragrance of sage from the sage-bushes dotting the landscape. It's a memory which always comes back to me whenever it threatens to rain.

I remember how a good rain smells because I'm from the Appalachian mountains of VA. I live in FL now and that is one of the few things I miss about my home state. The smell of life and renewal after a good rain storm has passed by.

My daughter got married on the hottest day of the year in Vegas. It was 115 degrees in Summerlin (Emerald at Queensridge). The heat didn't bother me too much but the limo bus I hired to bring people from the Sun Coast to Emerald air was broken. People were happy to get off the bus and step out into the 115 degree heat. LOLAnother day in Las Vegas.

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